Pitcher&#39;s box



y 1939- A. H. BOLTZ 2,156,469

PITCHER S vBOX Filed March 5, 1958 //W/VTOR A l red /5 fiaZZz.

ATTORNEY Patented May 2, 1939 rear oFFicE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to ground equipment employed in the game of baseball, and more par ticularly to the facilities identifying the pitchers box, and has as an object to provide an improved unitary construction including a pitchers plate conforming with existing rules pertaining thereto and integrally associated elements designed to obviate the disadvantages of conventional like installations,

10 A further object of the invention is to provide an improved unit for installation as a pitchers box which includes a standard pitchers plate in association with recesses and other elements disposed to accommodate any permissible stance of a pitcher.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved unit for installation as a pitchers box, which unit obviates the necessity for pitting or deforming the ground surface adjacent the standard pitcher's plate.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved pitchers box unit which is readily removable and replaceable, simple and inexpensive of manufacture, durable in use, and inher-v ently adaptable to various styles of pitching stance and ball delivery.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in

which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved pitchers box unit as constructed ready for installation and use. Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the indicated line 2-2 of Figure 1 and illustrating the improvement as installed foruse. Rules governing the game of baseball provide for and require a plate or slab installed at the pitchers position, specifying the size and relative disposition of such elements, and further requiring that such plate or slab must be engaged by the foot of the pitcher at the time the ball is delivered for a valid pitch. It has become customary for pitchers to provideholes in the ground 5 adjacent the forward margin of the standard plate wherein the pitchers toe is engaged at the moment of delivery. Pitchers employ various stances and styles of ball delivery and hence require change and variation in the toe holes ad- 5 jacent the plate, the result being an uneven and disturbed condition of the ground adjacent the plate, delay occasioned by the formation, filling up, or adjustment of toe holes to fit the needs of a given pitcher, and danger of erratic ball action 55 resulting from engagement of the ball with the disturbed ground area. The instant invention has been designed to obviate the foregoing disadvantages and to provide a pitchers box presenting uniform characteristics in all installations and providing an unvarying base adapted 5 to the style and stance of every pitcher.

In the construction as shown, the improvement is illustrated as comprising an integral, unitary assembly of elements formed in any suitable or desired manner, as by means of molding, of pref- 10 erably relatively-yieldable, wear-resistant, and non-abrasive material, such as rubber. The principal element of the assembly is a base ll] of rectangular, slab form and of a size materially in excess of that specified for the standard pitchers plate. The base I!) is formed with plane, parallel upper and lower surfaces, with beveled side margins II on one of its longer sides and on its shorter ends, and has a thickness sufficient only to provide the requisite stiffness for'practi- 20 cal use of the device and to facilitate installation thereof. The base Ii] is adapted to be seated in a shallow recess in the ground surface with its upper surface coplanarwith that of the ground, the latter being filled in over the beveled margins 25 I I to merge the ground surface with that of the base as smoothly as may be possible, and pins or likeelements 12 are engaged through suitable holes I3'formed in spaced relation alongmargins of said base and driven into penetrating en- '30 gagement with the ground to firmly and removably position said base in the location desired.

The base I0 supports an integral offset portion l4 rising vertically from its upper surface adjacent the unbeveled long margin of said base and 35 spaced equally from the base ends, said offset 14 presenting a plane upper surface parallel with and spaced slightly abovethat of the base and of a size and shape conforming withrthe requirements for a standard pitchers plate, said 40 plate being thus disposed adjacent the margin. ofthe base remote from the home plate of the diamond and intermediate the ends of said base so that the surface area of the latter extends forwardly and on either side of saidplate for 'engagement by and support of a pitchers foot during the pitching act. The offset I4 is illustrated as rising vertically above the surface of the base In with its end portions and forward margin beveled or inclined to merge with the adjacent base surface to minimize the obstructive or tripping effect of such offset. The standard plate portion represented by the offset l4 may be colored or pigmented to contrast with the adjacent surface of the base I0 and may, in certain embodiments,

lie flush with the base surface and be distinguishable from the latter only by its contrasting color, though it is generally preferred practice to elevate the conventional plate slightly above the adjacent ground surface. To provide the toe grips required by pitchers and to accommodate the forward cleats or spikes of pitchers shoes, a plurality of recesses or shallow depressions I5 are formed in and open upwardly through the top surface of the base l adjacent the forward margin of the offset or plate portion M, one of said recesses preferably being disposed at each end of the plate portion with another such recess substantially intermediate the other two, thereby providing a toe grip disposed to accommodate either right or left hand pitchers as well as those having non-conventional stances. In making a pitch, the pitcher normally engages a toe in a hole or recess dug adjacent the conventional plate in such manner as to permit the heel to rest onthe plate proper, and the same stance is permitted by the improved construction herein described by virtue of the provision and arrangement of the recesses l5. Side margins of the recesses I are preferably beveled or inclined, as shown, to minimize the probability of tripping thereon or of hooking of shoe spikes therewith.

While the number and arrangement of recesses l5 illustrated and above described will normally accommodate the various pitching stances generally employed, it is occasionally found that a pitcher will have developed a peculiar stance for which special provision is required, some of which stances may be accommodated in the improved construction by means of ribs l6 rising integrally from the upper surface of the base Ill in line with and extending outwardly from and on each side of the forward margin of the plate portion l4, said ribs serving for engagement by either heel or toe portion of a pitchers shoe and thereby,

' according to the particular stance employed, positioning some portion of the pitchers foot in engagement with the plate portion.

It should be apparent that the improved construction provides a practical pitchers box arranged to accommodate a wide variety of pitching stances and styles of delivery with a minimum of obstruction, the use of which improvement eliminates the necessity for digging and filling holes in the ground adjacent the plate and thereby obviates the delays, annoyances, and hazards common to the game when the conventional plate is employed. When using the improved construction, a pitcher is assured that his toe grip is always in the same relative location, that it is of uniform depth, and that the support for his foot provides a constant and uniform reaction to the positions and pressures of his particular pitching style.

Since many changes in the form, construction, and arrangement of the elements specifically shown and described may be had Without departing from the spirit of the invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention- 1. A pitchers box comprising a slab-like base portion arranged for removable positioning with its upper surface coplanar with a ground surface, an integral plate portion defined on and in readily distinguishable relation with said base portion, and recesses in the surface of said base portion and adjacent one margin of said plate portion.

2. A pitchers box comprising a slab-like base portion, means for removably positioning said base portion with its top surface coplanar with a ground surface, a plate portion defined on and in readily distinguishable relation with the upper surface of said base portion intermediate the ends and adjacent the rear margin of the latter, and a plurality of recesses in the surface of said base portion adjacent and in spaced relation along the forward margin of said plate portion.

3. A pitchers box comprising, in an integral assembly, a slab-like base portion, means for removably positioning said base portion with its upper surface coplanar with a ground surface, a plate portion defined on and in readily distinguishable relation with said base portion intermediate the ends and adjacent the rear margin of the latter, a plurality of recesses in the upper surface of said base portion adjacent and in spaced relation along the forward margin of said plate portion, and ribs rising integrally from said base portion in substantial alignment with and extending outwardly on each side from the forward margin of said plate portion.

4. A pitchers box comprising a slab-like base portion arranged for removable positioning with its upper surface coplanar with a ground surface, a plate portion defined on and rising as an integral offset above the upper portion of said base portion, and recesses in the surface of said base portion adjacent one margin of said plate portion.

5. A pitchers box comprising a slab-like base portion, means for removably positioning said base portion with its top surface coplanar with a ground surface, a plate portion defined by an integral offset rising from the upper surface of said base portion intermediate the ends and adjacent the rear margin of the latter, and a plurality of recesses in the surface of said base portion adjacent and in spaced relation along the forward margin of said plate portion.

6. A pitchers box comprising, in an integral assembly, a slab-like base portion, means for removably positioning said base portion with its upper surface coplanar with a ground surface, a plate portion defined as an integral offset rising from the upper surface of said base portion intermediate the ends and adjacent the rear margin of the latter, a plurality of recesses in 'the upper surface of said base portion adjacent and in spaced relation along the forward margin of said plate portion, and ribs rising integrally from said base portion in substantial alignment with and extending outwardly on each side from the forward margin of said plate portion.

ALFRED H. BOLTZ. 

